


Resistance

by geminibae16



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action, Adventure, Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit, Anger, Deceit, Drama, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Fighting, Gen, Journey, Lies, Martial Arts, Multi, Original Character Death(s), POV Third Person, POV might change, bad with tags, bear with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-26 01:03:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14390889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geminibae16/pseuds/geminibae16
Summary: An island with internal problems is nearing its breaking point. The power that anybody would want and love to have is being passed down to a woman who doesn't want it. She would rather be free and sail the seas instead being tied down. Arriving at the island, will the Straw Hats be her escape or downfall?





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> (Not good at summaries but the story is better than what's described)  
> First One Piece fic and I hope y'all enjoy! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, the story is back in progress!   
> I made a lot of changes to the story and whatnot but I feel that the story is better now than it was and explains things a little better. The updates might be a little slow but on the bright side there will be a second book to this. So get ready and enjoy!

"Why are you so stubborn? Do you realize you'll lead this land when my time is up?" A woman berated the girl that sat in front of her. "You just can't toss something like this to the side!"

 

The girl stood up from her chair and headed towards the door. She never responded to the other woman talking to her or even acknowledged the words that came out of her mouth. Once she left the palace, she took a stroll to the beachfront. She watched the waves as they hit the shore. The ever ending blue waters is what she longed to be on, not staying stuck here being the next leader. She sighed as the words her grandmother spoke came back to her, trying to whip her in shape for the position she never wanted. What she really wanted to do was to travel the wide blue seas and to experience the life she heard so much about. The adventure and excitement was what she wanted to experience, not to have life already planned before she was old enough to walk.

 

"Desiree! Desiree, there you are!" Desiree turned to see two little kids running at her with huge smiles on their faces.

 

"Hey you two, what are you doing over here?" She asked the two kids.

 

"We were waiting on you so we could play again." The little girl said, tugging on Desiree's hand.

 

"Can we? Please?" The little boy begged while running in circles around her.

 

"Okay you two." Desiree sighed. "But not too long, I have some things I need to take care of."

 

" is it duties?" The little girl asked.

 

"Uh, something like that." Desiree answered. She wondered how the little girl knew but she figured word was getting around.

 

"My mommy said you'll be a good leader but does that mean we can't play anymore?" The little boy asked.

 

Desiree huffed at his question. "Listen, don’t worry about that now. I'm here playing with you so that's all that matters. " The two kids gave Desiree a hug and proceeded to play a game of tag.

 

          ***

Desiree sent the kids home after playing for a couple hours. The sun was still high in the sky and didn’t seem to let up. Starting with her 'duties', which she hated to do, Desiree had to check on the farmers and see if they needed any type of assistance. From there, she went to different shops to tidy them up, kept the roads and paths looking clean, and lastly headed to the local restaurant.

 

Here, she didn’t mind helping out. This was something more like therapy, to keep her mind off of the daunting idea of having power. Once inside the restaurant, the locals waved and greeted her almost as if she was a celebrity. Normally she didn't mind, but it started to get old. Desiree walked to the kitchen to be smacked in the face with a towel.

 

"What the hell?" Desiree shouted as she grabbed at the towel.

 

"Jeez Desiree, you need to show up on time! Since you're here, start peeling these vegetables and boil the chicken that's on the counter."

 

"Well hello to you too, Raz. What's all of this for? Is there something coming up?" Desiree questioned while peeling some potatoes.

 

"Oh, so you didn't know?"

 

"Know what?"

 

Raz busted into a boisterous laugh. She did this for a few moments before bending over and clutching her stomach. "Oh man, you're so oblivious! Your grandmother set this plan to have a huge feast for you, well before your induction. I guess it kind of sucks that you have to cook most of the food for your own feast, huh?"

 

Desiree didn't say anything. Her reaction to this distasteful act left her feeling sour. Raz continued to blabber on at the other side of the kitchen, mostly about nothing. Desiree chopped the vegetables with force behind it, as a sign that she would've preferred if Raz would shut up.

 

"Seems like you don't want it." Raz said. "The power, well the respect, and the choice to help this place. Does it not excite you?"

 

Desiree thought about what she said. "I don't. It's not me and it's something that I wouldn't enjoy." She sighed as she put the knife on the counter. "I think I'm done for the day."

 

Desiree walked past Raz and left the kitchen. Outside of the restaurant, she saw kids playing and running about. She felt like she missed those times, matter of factly, she did miss those times. It was almost as if her whole childhood was skipped and she was thrown into adulthood at a young age. She wasn't ready for what was being thrown at her. Not now or ever.

 

Desiree moped on the way back to the palace. The inside felt empty, though her brother and grandmother live there, something was just missing. Up the steps and down the hall was her bedroom. Inside, she flopped on the bed and buried herself under the myriad of pillows and blankets.


	2. II

The next morning, Desiree didn't want to get up. She was awake but decided not to leave to comfort and protection of her bed. Her grandmother was shouting her name from downstairs but she really didn't care. She grabbed more pillows and pulled them over her head to block the sound. It didn't help as her grandmother had made it to her room and started to yank the pillows and blankets off the bed. 

"What is wrong with you girl? Get up! Today is the start of your journey for this position!" 

Desiree shooed her away and resisted her blankets from being jerked away. Her grandmother yanked again and this time pulling her to the floor. Desiree hissed as she hit the floor. 

"Last time I'll tell you, girl. Now go get ready so we can have our breakfast."

Before she walked out of the room, Desiree contemplated on telling her how she felt. She needed to do it now and not wait until all of the functions started. 

"Grandma-"

"Oh Rei, I'm glad you're here! Help your sister get ready and tell her to meet me downstairs."

Of all the people she couldn't stand, here came her snarky brother. He walked in with his arms folded and a smirk plastered on his face. He leaned against the doorframe and watched as Desiree made her way off the floor. 

"By the looks of it, you don't need any help." 

"I don’t. You're free to go." She hissed at him while tossing the blanket back on the bed. 

"Remember what I said before? You can always drop this little act and hand the reigns over to me. If you do that then grandma probably won't have a big fit. " 

Rei insisted that Desiree let him have the position, The position of the matriarch. He knew that a man couldn't have this role and claimed that the women didn’t know what they were doing. If so, how was this island prospering for years without a man's help? Normally when he spouts his nonsense, Desiree can ignore it. But a day like this, she was not going to put up with his bullshit. 

"If you're not going to do anything productive or helpful, get out." 

With that, Rei left out of her room. She sighed and flopped on the bed, pretty much thinking about the future decisions she'll make. Instead of psyching herself up, she decided to get ready and go downstairs with her grandmother. 

Once downstairs, Desiree shuffled into the kitchen. She sat across from her grandmother in which she responded with a murmur. 

"I see you finally made it down." She paused when she saw the outfit Desiree had chose. "Why that outfit? You realize you have to change for the feast later, right?" 

"If we're being completely honest, I'm not up for this." Desiree started to expect the worse to come. 

"Excuse me? You mean to tell me you don’t want this? The power-"

"It's not just about the power! I.. I just don't want this. I don't have any desire to lead this place. There's no domineering traits in me. I'd rather…."

Desiree was cut off by her fuming grandmother. She stood up from her chair and started to yell, projecting her voice throughout the kitchen. "I don't want to hear your fantasies about traveling the waters and becoming some depraved pirate! Your mother would roll over in her grave if she heard you talking like this!" 

"I would rather take my chances on the high seas instead of being controlled by the world government you trust and love so much!" 

Her grandmother took it to heart, she gasped and took steps toward Desiree. "So this is really what this whole situation is about? Because I want to ally with the world government as a sign of surefire protection? Well excuse me for worrying about the protection of this island!" 

"Antillia does not need them. You choose to disregard that they're just as bad! You already know the reason for them to try and 'protect' us, it's all because of that fruit! Trust me, that fruit will be this island's downfall."

"Take that back!" The grandmother slammed her hand down on the table, causing it to shake. 

"No because it's true! That fruit will ruin this place and I won't allow it. I'd rather get rid of it or do something where it won't fall into the wrong hands."

The two stopped their arguing after Desiree made her statement. Seeing that this talk wasn't going anywhere, Desiree headed out of the kitchen to change out of this outfit she was wearing. Before making it out of the kitchen, her grandmother stopped her again. 

"Make sure you make it to the feast on time."

Desiree scoffed and headed up the stairs. 

••••

In her room, Desiree was furious. She felt like she made the right choice of telling how she felt but it obviously didn't work. Seeing how her grandmother overreacted about her opinions wasn’t that surprising. She only acted like this ever since that incident. From there, she saw the changes. Gradual and then to how she is today, she knows that she still hurts from that and completely understands but she might go to far. Upon all this reflecting, Desiree knew she had to get out for a while. And in all honesty, she could care less about the feast. In a notion to get out, she threw on some shorts, long sleeve t-shirt, and pinned her hair up into a bun and left out. 

Once outside, she felt better, relieved from being stuck inside of that constricting palace. Sitting on the beach was the most relaxing thing she could do right now. The sun, the smell of the water, and clear blue skies was enough to put anybody into a trance. While laying in the sand, all that ran through her mind was to get out and explore but knowing that Antillia was stable first. Knowing that something needs to be done, Desiree just didn’t know what to do. Home couldn't suffer and end up in ruins so a decision had to be made. What Rei said definitely didn't make anything better but should she reason with him and take the advice? Desiree covered her face and tried not to cry tears of frustration. At this point, she might as well let it out and that’s exactly what she did. 

In the midst of her emotional struggle, she heard yelling. It was distant at best but loud enough to catch her attention. She figured the yelling came from some kids getting into over a game or possibly even her grandmother fussing over something. In either case, she really didn't care but to put it nicely, not in the mood for it. Deciding to see where the yelling was coming from instead of speculating, Desiree moved her hands from her eyes and looked around. 

What caught her attention was a gigantic ship that was headed towards the shore. She'd never seen a ship that big and especially with a unique figurehead. Was it a sun or a lion? Whatever It was surely caught her attention. Desiree jumped up and dusted the sand off of her. She debated whether or not to let the rest of the islanders know or to keep quiet. Either way it goes, a ship that big isn't gonna be hard to miss. So she waited until the ship docked at the shore. The first person off the ship was a scrawny boy with a straw hat adorned on his head. Along with that hat, he sported a scar under his left eye and a huge grin on his face.

"Hello." Desiree greeted him. She didn't know exactly how to greet him but as far as appearances wen, he seemed friendly. But Desiree knows that you can't always judge a book by its cover.

"Hi! I'm Luffy." The boy responded while holding his hand out. "Uh, do you know where we are?" 

Desiree couldn't help but to laugh. At this point, the other crew members started to leave the ship and gather around. "You've made it to Antillia. You all are the first visitors we've had in a while." 

"Really? Do you have any food?" As soon as Luffy said this, a ginger haired woman came up behind him and whacked him on the head.

"Sorry about him, I'm Nami. And this is the rest of the crew." She greeted. 

The rest of the crew gave their greetings. So far she seemed right about them, they seemed nice but a little wild. "Since you're asking about food, you came at the right time. We're having a feast and everyone is welcome." 

The crew cheered at the sign of hospitality. They all looked tired and drained, probably from being out on the water for so long.

"If you don't mind me asking," Desiree paused before asking a question. "What brought you here?" 

"Well, we were chased by some Marines from the very last island we were at. Then got stuck in a horrible tsunami and on top of that, we sailed out for days on end without finding land but here we are." Nami explained. "I'm totally ready for a change of clothes, a nice bed, and some food."

"Restocking on food would be nice, too. But not as nice as you!" Sanji swirled over to Desiree. 

"No problem with that. We have some stores here and a place where y'all can kick it before the feast later." 

"You're a life saver, I swear!" Usopp cried tears of joy.

••••

Desiree showed them the little inn where they could stay for the time being. Once they were settled in, Desiree headed back to the palace. She didn't expect for her grandmother to be there since she wanted this whole feast to be perfect. But inside was her brother. She ignored him as she went upstairs to her room but he followed close behind.

"What's that ship doing out there?" 

"Don’t question me, you know the answer."

"Ouch." Rei whistled. "Grandma's not gonna be happy to see a bunch of pirates here. She'll have a fit and probably-"

"It doesn't matter what she says or thinks because I invited them to the feast."�  
"You what?" Rei raised his voice.

"Don't act like you're all so perfect and don't do anything wrong, because I know your dirty little secrets." 

"You’re lying." Rei hissed.

"I know that you and Reyana have a little fling and went in Ms. Yinz's rose patch and messed it up. I have more info if you want to know." Desiree taunted Rei and folded her arms.

"Fine, but if things go to shit because you let those pirates here, I'm not gonna save you. You better ask the high spirits to try and save your hide."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure I don’t call on you for anything."

•••

As the Straw Hats settled down into the inn, Luffy was still restless. 

"I'm hungry!" He whined. "I should've asked her when the food was gonna be ready. I feel like I'm slowly fading."

"Luffy, chill out. We should be lucky we've made it to a very hospitable island." Sanji said as he lit another cigarette.

"We don't know if the rest of the people here are as nice as she was." Zoro interjected. "Can't always judge a book by its' cover."

"Jeez marimo, you're such a buzzkill. You wouldn't know hospitality if it hit you in the face. " Sanji frowned at Zoro. "Anyways, I might as well look for some stores for food while we wait."

Sanji headed out to get some supplies for the ship. Nami and Robin also went out and about to see the island for themselves. Once they were in the heart of the town, many of the islanders were hanging up decorations and setting up tables in front of a fountain. Now, this fountain was humongous. It stood at least thirteen feet high and had two dancing figures in the middle. It was almost like the two figures were dancing for the water or either worshipping it. The two women couldn't help but stand in awe of the scenery. Though they have been to many islands and seen many cities before, this was certainly different. All the buildings that circled the center were white, plastered by vibrant colors. Everything complimented each other from the trees to the buildings and even the décor. 

"Wow." Was all that Nami could mutter. As for Robin, she was still speechless. Deciding to go ahead and continue exploring, the two continued on the path toward some stores. Nami headed straight for a clothing store in dire need for some new fits instead of the tattered ones she currently had. While peering through the clothes, the clerk happened to get her attention.

"Hello, ma'am. Do you need any help?" The clerk asked.

"Oh, no. I know exactly what I came in here for." Nami responded and grabbed clothes off of the racks. Every piece had a unique aspect to it. Whether it was a skirt covered in swirl patterns or a shirt embezzled with what looked like pearls, these items were something exquisite. 

As Nami put the clothes on the counter, the clerk smiled at her selections. "Seems like you have good taste, an expensive one, too."

"Well, you know it's a girl's thing." Nami said with a smile. 

"The only ones here who buy these clothes are the matriarch and her family, a few of the others here really don’t care for this bougie stuff." The clerk paused and took a look at Nami. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"There you are Nami!" Desiree called out as she walked through the door of the store. 

Nami caught the hint and played along. "Sorry, I meant to tell you I was going out to get your things."

"It's fine, no worries but I have some other things for you to do when we get back to the palace." Desiree put on a smile and handed money to the clerk. She grabbed Nami's arm, along with the clothes, and left the store.

"What was that all about?" Nami folded her arms and demanded to know what that whole situation was about. But before she could get mad, she noticed the attire that Desiree had changed into. Almost like the ones in the store they'd just left.

Desiree sighed and kept walking. "I should have said this earlier but I wanted you all to stay in the inn until I came and got you. This way, it wouldn't be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding about what? And what is this matriarch thing?"

"Do you know if any other members had left the inn?"

"Probably." Nami sighed. "I know Sanji is probably out getting some food and Robin was with me earlier."

Desiree bit her lip in thought. "Okay. I need you to go find them and tell the rest of the crew to meet me in the palace. Just follow the path to the left from where the ship is docked."

With that, Desiree ran off towards an opening in the trees, leaving Nami in a daze about what had just happened. Obliging Desiree's wishes, she ran off to go find Robin and Sanji.


	3. III

Desiree took a shortcut through the palm trees after she finished talking to Nami. Before she continued on to the palace, she dusted off her skirt and fixed the satin scarf that draped over her shoulder, just in case her grandmother was still inside. Once there, she made sure every room was empty and the most valuable possessions were put up. In the midst of all this, Desiree paused. Did she really need to go the extra mile and put everything up or was she just overreacting? Or was it all of those tales her grandmother would tell about how awful and barbaric pirates were and how a soul can't trust them? 

She sighed and took a breath. This was neither the time or place to be indecisive, if she was really scared then she would've told them to turn around and leave. By the time Desiree made the decision to stop trying to hide valuables, she heard shouting at the front door. 

"Jeez Luffy, you just can't barge into somebody's house!"

"Why not?" Luffy argued back.

Desiree opened the front door to see Luffy and Sanji bickering. "I'm glad you made it." She said opening the door for the crew. 

The two stopped bickering and followed the rest inside. As the crew walked through the foyer, they couldn't help but to gaze at the beauty of the palace. Everything was made from limestone and had gold accents. Along every wall was some type of foliage which added more color to the room. But the thing that stood out most were the vases that held the bird of paradise. Vibrant blues and oranges filled the place like no other.

"This place is super. " Franky murmured as he looked around once more.

"Please, take a seat." Desiree said as she motioned towards the three couches in the center of the floor.

As the crew took their seats, Desiree walked to the middle of the floor. She took a breath before speaking.

"Well." She started out. "Sorry to have kept you all in the inn like that, it's just that-"

"When can we go eat?" Luffy interrupted.

Nami whacked him on the head. "Don't interrupt like that! Sorry." Nami motioned for Desiree to continue.

"Like I was saying before, normally we don't get pirates coming here that often but today was a surprise. But I had you stay there for the time being until the coast was clear."

"What do you mean by that?" Robin questioned. 

"It's all cause of an incident that happened years ago." Desiree tugged at her necklace and looked at the floor. "From that, many here dislike the idea of being open to pirates while others welcome them. Since you're here, I don’t want to rush you all off knowing that supplies and other things are needed." 

"If that’s the case, then we'd be totally noticeable at the feast."

"Not exactly, like I said some don’t mind the idea of pirates but since this feast is for me, I'm sure they wouldn't mind the change." 

The crew's expression changed when they heard what Desiree said. But what she meant by it, they had no clue. 

Desiree noticed the confusion and began to explain. "Antillia is a matriarchy. For many generations, women have led this island to be as successful as it is now. My mother was the leader until an unfortunate incident happened which took her life. My grandmother had already served years before but had now resumed the position due to the circumstances. As of now, it's supposed to be my turn to take the reigns and lead. That’s the reason why the feast is happening today, my grandmother decided to push this position onto me even though I don't want it." 

"What happens if you oppose? Does your grandmother know how you feel?" 

Desiree answered Robin's question with a sigh. "She already knows my view on this. We argued about it this morning and she frankly doesn't care, that’s why this feast is still happening. I can't stay here and be tied down and try to fix things I have no power of. On top of that, we have conflicting views on many things and there's no way to make a compromise. " 

"Please don’t let it involve the Marines. Please don’t let it involve the Marines." Usopp pleaded. 

"Sadly, you're right." Desiree sucked her teeth. "Grandmother wants to make a treaty with the World Government therefore being protected by the Marines. I told her we'd be giving everything up but she won't listen, all because of this damn fruit."

"A devil fruit?" Luffy asked. 

"Yes. I want to get rid of it while grandmother wants to sell it, like I said in return for protection." 

"What all does the fruit do? I mean if the World Government wants it, it has to be a big deal." Nami seemed to get anxious at all of the things she's heard so far. 

Desiree left the area and went around a corner, only to return with a large book. The book was covered in leather and had an engraving on the front. "This book details the use of this fruit from generations ago. Every person that uses the fruit can revive the dead. Those that have been revived wake up as if nothing happened, almost like they’ve been sleep. The only downfall is that the user doesn't stay alive long. They can only do a limited amount before they perish. Just imagine if this lands into the wrong hands?"

Robin perused through the pages of the book. What really caught her attention was the tree that was drawn on almost every page. The tree was intricately carved, it looked as if it would pop right off the page. Robin turned her head to the window to see the same tree right outside.

"I suppose this is the same tree from the book." Robin inferred.

"Yes. And the fruit grows here every time after someone uses it. I've had ideas about what to do and how to get rid of this but do you think you can help me?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another update! Hopefully I can get another chapter out by the end of this week.

Desiree was reluctant to ask the Straw Hats if they could help her. Honestly, they just needed a place to rest after dealing with the struggles before they got to Antillia. Since they were here, she might as well ask.

"I mean, if not I can fully understand." Desiree sat on the chair across from them.

"Sure!" Luffy had already agreed before listening to the plan.

"Eh? Wait, can we have some time to discuss this first?" Usopp and Nami pleaded.

"Sure. I want you to try and relax a little bit before departing again. But anyways, I'll have some outfits for you all to wear at the feast."

Desiree, once again, left the crew to discuss among themselves. Knowing it was just for a few moments, this gave time for Desiree to regain her composure. It took a lot out of her to explain this whole situation to outsiders. If her grandmother, or even worse, Rei knew, everything she had planned would be ruined. Deep down, Desiree was putting a lot of faith in this crew to help her get this done. But why was she talking like they wholeheartedly agree? It was just the captain who said something but the others didn't say anything but their expressions did give it away. 

But what if her grandmother was right?

You can't trust these scumbag pirates! They're double crossers and don't care who you are or what you have! They have no regards for anybody! Look at how they traipse around without a care to the world ruining people's lives! You can't ignore this!

She was on the verge to cry. What if they only came to ransack the island and just destroy it like all the other stories she's heard? At this point she didn't know what to think but she wasn't going to wreck her mind over it. She made a decision and she was going to stick with it.

Meanwhile in the foyer, Nami was shouting at Luffy.

"Well, I'm the captain and I say we should help her. Plus I want food and she's inviting us to the feast, so why not?" Luffy folded his arms.

"Jeez, all you think about is food! But what does everybody else think? It's way too soon to be dealing with more Marines and the World Government, so I think we should pass this one up."

"But Desiree does have a point. What if the government or the Marines get their hands on this fruit or worse? If she had already come this far then she must have a plan or something concocted." Robin explained while looking through the book once more.

"She knows her stuff. But now what is all of this about the islanders not liking pirates?" Zoro jumped into the conversation.

"She said some are like that not all. But I did pick up some fishy vibes from the clerk at one of the clothing stores."

"Probably because you were trying to haggle her out of some clothes." Zoro chided.

"Shut it, marimo." Nami frowned. "Besides the point, we really need to discuss this matter."

"We can later. I'm hungry!" Luffy shouted.

By this time, Desiree came back to the foyer with a couple bags in her hands.

"Alright everybody, I have some clothes for the feast later. If there's any objections, let me know." 

The crew took the bags and peered into them. Nami shouted with excitement on how marvelous the clothes looked. The others did the same but not to the same extent. Desiree then reminded them about the feast later that night and what time to meet her, and with that, the crew left and did whatever they had to do.

Desiree headed back to her room to find what she was going to put on for the feast. She didn’t try to think negative about the events that would occur later but to focus on the now. While rummaging through her closet, she heard shuffling outside her room. She crept towards the doorway before peeking her head through and looked down the hallway. She didn't see anything on this level but when she turned back around, Rei was standing beside her bedroom door. She jumped as she saw him there, not even expecting him to be in the palace.

"On edge aren't you? I see why, those pirates were in here but I suppose you let them in."

"It's none of your business." Desiree responded while heading back into her room.

Rei followed her in her room and badgered her with more questions. "Why did you let them in? You know they might come back and ransack the place."

"I don't want to hear it." Desiree continued to ruffle through her closet.

"Well, you're going to listen. And you're gonna hear it again from grandma and everybody else that lives here. You don't realize that your actions are going to endanger everybody here. Now-"

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing and I'm damn for sure don't have to listen to you or anybody else!" 

Rei tosses his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "You really don’t get it; I mean really. After all the shit with mom and people's views, you choose not to care. And that is exactly how you will end up hurting people."

Desiree ignored him again and continued rummaging through her closet. Rei kept standing there, trying to get his point across before their grandmother came through.

"I leave for a few to come back to this? What is going on now?" The grandmother demanded an answer. 

"Well, I know you're familiar with the law that we've had intact for years, but not to beat around the bush, I think the law has been broken."

"What are you getting at?" The grandmother looked at Rei and Desiree. "Answer, now!" 

"Desiree allowed some pirates to come on this island." Rei answered with a smirk.

The grandmother turned her gaze towards Desiree. She pointed at Rei and then to the door, a sign for him to leave. He obliged and closed the door behind him, leaving Desiree and her grandmother inside the room. Her grandmother stepped closer and pointed her finger in Desiree's face.

"What is your brother talking about? Pirates, here? Don't play girl."

Desiree hesitated before giving a response. "He's not wrong. But I-"

"Do you even know what you're doing? Those laws were put in place for reasons! They are not meant to be broken! Do you even realize what you're doing?" Her grandmother started speaking franticly and waving her arms in the air.

"Grandmother, listen. I allowed it to happen because-"

"DON'T! Do not say you allowed this to happen! It was the same thing your mother said and look where she is!" Tears started to well in her eyes as she managed to spit out those words. "I will not allow this to happen. I'm getting the guards to get them out of here."

Before her grandmother stormed out of the bedroom, Desiree spoke up. 

"You don't get to choose, I do. If this is the power that my new position holds, then I'm going to change it. Do you not realize that this seclusion is hurting the island? Mom had good intentions, I know she did. But listen, not all pirates are bad."

Hearing that last sentence sent her grandmother off the rails. "You have no right to talk about what you don't know! That's it, I'm tired of listening to your foolishness."

"I'm not finished!" Desiree yelled. "Since I now have the position of matriarch, I'm changing things. Tonight at the feast, I'm making an announcement and you will just have to deal with it."

Her grandmother scoffed. "Deal with it? No. I refuse to."

"Whatever, whether you like it or not, I will do something."

The grandmother stormed out of Desiree's room and slammed the door behind her. Though the two had words before, this time was different. Desiree felt like whatever thread of relationship they had left was severed. In this instance, she really felt alone. She didn't have a brother that could lean a shoulder or a mother to confide in. Before the thought of even touching the clothes in her closet, she sat on the bed and fiddled with the necklace around her neck. 

"Mom, I know you would do something too."


End file.
